Cable management apparatus

ABSTRACT

A cable management apparatus includes a cable support, and a coil spring. The cable support includes a first support and a second support. A rail assembly includes an outer rail and an inner rail slidably attached to the outer rail. The first support is rotationally attached to the inner rail and the second support is rotationally attached to the outer rail. Opposite ends of the coiling spring is respectively connected to the first and second supports. The coiling spring is bendable to make an angle between the first and second supports be changeable.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This present application is a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication, entitled “CABLE MANAGEMENT APPARATUS”, with applicationSer. No. 12/166,264, filed on Jul. 1, 2008, which claims foreignpriority based on Chinese Patent application No. 200810301152.X, filedin China on Apr. 16, 2008. The content of the above-referencedapplications are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an accessory of a server cabinet, andmore particularly to a cable management apparatus attached to a servercabinet to manage the cables connected to a server.

2. Description of Related Art

Many servers are installed in cabinets via a pair of rail assemblies. Acable management apparatus is attached to the cabinet behind the serverto manage the cables of the server to ensure that the cables are wellordered. The cable management apparatus generally includes a firstsupporting arm pivotably connected with a second supporting arm. Thefirst and second supporting arms are attached to a rail assembly, andcan rotate relative to each other when the server moves with the railassemblies. But, when the server is in place, the first and secondsupporting arms cannot rotate anymore and block the access to the rearpart of the sever.

Because of the existence of the above cable management apparatus,maintenance of the components behind the server such as power supplymodules becomes inconvenient. The cable management apparatus must bedetached from the cabinet to provide access for the maintenance.

What is desired, therefore, is a cable management apparatus thatfacilitates the maintenance of servers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of a cable management apparatus inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1, but an inverted view.

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are assembled views of the cable management apparatus ofFIG. 1, two rail assemblies, and a server, showing two using statesrespectively.

FIG. 6 is an assembled, isometric view of a cable management apparatusin accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an assembled, isometric view of the cable management apparatusof FIG. 6, two rail assemblies, and a server, showing a using state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, a cable management apparatus inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure is attachedbetween a first rail assembly 80 and a second rail assembly 90, formanaging cables 110 extending from a rear end of a server 100 slidablymounted to a cabinet using the first and second rail assembly 80 and 90.The cable management apparatus includes a first supporting arm 10, asecond supporting arm 20, a connecting member 30, a plurality of cableretainers 40, a first locking member 50, a second locking member 60, anda supporting member 70.

A rear end of the first rail assembly 80 defines a fixing hole 81(seeFIG. 5).

The first supporting arm 10 is approximately L-shaped, and includes apole-shaped supporting portion 11, and a pivot portion 12 verticallyextending from a first end of the supporting portion 11.

The second supporting arm 20 is approximately L-shaped, and includes apole-shaped supporting portion 21, a pivot portion 22 verticallyextending from a first end of the supporting portion 21, and a threadedportion 23 defined at a second end of the supporting portion 21.

The connecting member 30 includes a first connecting part 31 and asecond connecting part 32. The first connecting part 31 includes a tube313, a discoid-shaped hook portion 311 extending from an end of the tube313, and a plurality of circularly distributed hooks 312 verticallyextending from a circumference of a bottom of the hook portion 311. Thetube 313 defines an axial hole 3132 therein. The second connecting part32 includes a fixing pole 323, a discoid-shaped receiving portion 321extending from an end of the fixing pole 323, and a blocking portion 324radially extending outward from the receiving portion 321. The receivingportion 321 defines a stepped hole in a middle thereof. The other end ofthe fixing pole 323 axially defines a threaded hole 3232, correspondingto the threaded portion 23 of the second supporting arm 20.

Each cable retainer 40 may be formed by a wire bent into a U-shape.Distal ends 41 thereof are coiled and in axial alignment to receive acorresponding pole-shape supporting portion 11, 21 therethrough. Themiddle portion is bent toward the coiled ends 41 to form a hook likestructure.

The first locking member 50 is approximately L-shaped, and includes anattaching portion and an extending portion vertically bent from one endof the attaching portion. A pivot part 51 is formed at a distal end ofthe extending portion.

The second locking member 60 includes an attaching portion, an extendingportion vertically bent from one end of the attaching portion, and anelastic part 62 vertically bent from a distal end of the extendingportion. A pivot part 61 is formed at an outer surface of the extendingportion. Two cutouts 621 are respectively defined at opposite sides ofthe free end of the elastic part 62.

The supporting member 70 includes a supporting portion 71, a protrusion72 extending outward from one end of the supporting portion 71, and afixing portion 73 vertically bent from the other end of the supportingportion 71. The supporting portion 71 defines a fixing hole 74 adjacentthe fixing portion 73. The fixing hole 74 includes a greater section anda smaller section communicating with the greater section.

Referring also to FIGS. 3 to 5, in assembly, the hooks 312 of the firstconnecting part 31 of the connecting member 30 is extended into thestepped hole 322 of the second connecting part 32 from the smaller holeof the stepped hole 322, and engaged with the step of the stepped hole322. The first connecting part 31 is rotationally mounted to the secondconnecting part 32. The cable retainers 40 are positioned on the tube313 of the first connecting part 31, the supporting portion 11 of thefirst supporting arm 10, or the supporting portion 21 of the secondsupporting arm 20, via their coiled ends 41. The cable 110 can beretained by the cable retainers 40. The supporting portion 11 of thefirst supporting arm 10 is slidably received in the axial hole 3132 ofthe tube 313 of the first connecting part 31, and the threaded portion23 of the second supporting arm 20 is screwed into the threaded hole3232 of the fixing pole 323 of the second connecting part 32 of theconnecting member 30. The pivot portion 12 of the first supporting arm10 and the pivot portion 22 of the second supporting arm 20 arerespectively rotationally received in the pivot part 51 of the firstlocking member 50 and the pivot part 61 of the second locking member 60.The attaching portions of the first locking member 50 and the secondlocking member 60 are respectively fixed to rear ends of an inner railand an outer rail of the second rail assembly 90. The protrusion 72 ofthe supporting member 70 is engaged in the fixing hole 81 of the firstrail assembly 80. The fixing portion 73 of the supporting member 70 isinserted into an inner side of the outer rail of the second railassembly 90. The elastic part 62 of the second locking member 60 iselastically deformed and passes through the greater section of thefixing hole 74 of the supporting member 70. The elastic part 62 of thesecond locking member 60 restores and moves into the smaller section ofthe fixing hole 74, and the cutouts 621 of the elastic part 62 areengaged with opposite edges of the smaller section of the fixing hole74.

When the server 100 is completely accommodated in the cabinet, a top ofthe supporting portion 71 of the supporting member 70 supports thecabinet 324 of the second connecting part 32 of the connecting member30, to prevent the cable management apparatus from damage because ofsupporting heavy cables 110 for a long time.

When the server is moved forwards on the rail assemblies 80, 90, thecables 110 are supported by the cable retainers 40 and the firstsupporting arm 10 rotates relative to the second supporting arm 20. Thecables 110 also supply a force to prevent the supporting portion 11 ofthe first supporting arm 10 from sliding in the tube 313 of the firstconnecting part 31 of the connecting member 30. The blocking portion 324is moved off of the supporting member 70. The cables 110 are maintainedin a well ordered manner such that when the server is pushed back, thecables 110 do not get in the way.

To maintain the server 100 without detaching the server 100 from thecabinet, the elastic part 62 of the second locking member 60 is movedinto the greater section of the fixing hole 74 of the supporting member70 against its elasticity. The fixing portion 73 of the supportingmember 70 is drawn out of the outer rail of the second rail assembly 90,and the protrusion 72 of the supporting member 70 is disengaged from thefixing hole 81 of the first rail assembly 80 to detach the supportingmember 70. The pivot portion 12 of the first supporting arm 10 and thepivot portion 22 of the second supporting arm 20 are respectivelypivoted in the pivot part 51 of the first locking member 50 and thepivot part 61 of the second locking member 60. The first supporting arm10 and the second supporting arm 20 are then moved toward the secondrail assembly 90. The supporting portion 11 of the first supporting arm10 slides in the tube 313 of the first connecting part 31 of theconnecting member 30, until the first supporting arm 10 and the secondsupporting arm 20 are juxtaposed, and located beside the second railassembly 90 to leave a space for the technicians to maintain thecomponents of the server 100. Thus, the relative lengths of two sidesthe respective triangle can be altered allowing easy access to theservers.

Referring also to FIGS. 6 and 7, a cable management apparatus inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure is similarto that of the first embodiment. The cable management apparatus of thisembodiment includes a first supporting arm 10 a, a second supporting arm20 a, and a connecting member 30 a. The connecting member 30 a is ahelical spring, and both ends of the helical spring are fixed to thecorresponding ends of the first supporting arm 10 a and the secondsupporting arm 20 a. To maintain the server 100 without detaching theserver 100 from the cabinet, in virtue of the flexibility of theconnecting member 30 a, the pivot portions of the first supporting arm10 a and the second supporting arm 20 a are respectively pivoted in thepivot part 51 of the first locking member 50 and the pivot part 61 ofthe second locking member 60, until the first and the second supportingarms 10 a, 20 a are juxtaposed, and located beside the second railassembly 90, to leave a space for the technicians to maintain thecomponents of the server 100. Thus, the relative lengths of two sidesthe respective triangle can be altered allowing easy access to theservers.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosurehas been presented only for the purposes of illustration and descriptionand is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to theprecise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen anddescribed in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and theirpractical application so as to enable others skilled in the art toutilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the artto which the present disclosure pertains without departing from itsspirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure isdefined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description andthe exemplary embodiments described therein.

1. A cable management apparatus, the cable management apparatuscomprising: a rail assembly comprising an outer rail and an inner railslidably attached to the outer rail; a first support comprising a firstsupport section and a first rotation section, wherein the first rotationsection is rotatably attached to the inner rail; a second supportcomprising a second support section and a second rotation section,wherein the second rotation section is rotatably attached to the outerrail; a connecting member comprising a first connecting part and asecond connecting part, wherein the first connecting part connects withthe first support section and the second connecting part connects withthe second support section, and the first connecting part and the secondconnecting part are capable of rotational relative movement; and a coilspring bendable and comprising opposite ends respectively connected tothe first support section and the second support section to rotatablylink the first support section with the second support section.
 2. Thecable management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner railcomprises a first locking member and the outer rail comprises a secondlocking member, and the first rotation section is pivotably coupled tothe first locking member and the second rotation section is pivotablycoupled to the second locking member.
 3. The cable management apparatusas claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cableretainers, wherein at lease one cable retainer is located on each of thefirst and second supports.
 4. The cable management apparatus as claimedin claim 3, wherein each cable retainer comprises a wire bent into aU-shape; two coiled portions in axial alignment with each other areformed at opposite ends of the wire; and a middle portion of the wireextends towards the coiled portions to form a hook like structure.